The Repair Shop is adding a new face to its cast, the BBC revealed in a surprise announcement ahead of Wednesday night’s episode.
Camera expert Pierro Pozella is joining the cast, and as he revealed in a statement, he couldn’t be more excited about his new gig!
Impressively self-taught, Pierro revealed how he got into camera refurbishing, saying: “When I started repairing film cameras over ten years ago, the world had already gone digital, so you couldn’t just go to a factory and learn from a specialist – you had to learn by yourself.
WATCH: The Repair Shop introduces new expert Pierre Pozella
“What got me into repairs was my fascination with analog cameras and the history they have. As film cameras were considered redundant at the time, there was a surplus of broken cameras that were thrown in the trash because people didn’t know what to do with them.
“It seemed crazy to me that almost 100-year-old cameras would just end up in a landfill, and I wanted to change that. To understand how these cameras worked, I started taking them apart to learn how to repair them. Through this process of reverse engineering, I was able to gain knowledge that I needed to repair and save these cameras.
Pierro Pozella introduces himself to the audience
“After several years of in-depth study of a range of cameras, I was able to approach companies in London to start working on customer repairs. This gave me the space to build confidence while working on more complex and high-end cameras.
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© Sarah WealWill Kirk is a staunch service person
Pierro revealed that he discovered the show after his work was recognized on social media. He said: “I just got the email so it was quite sudden – at first I wondered if it was real or not! They found me through my social media which was great as it took quite a while to develop over the year .”
Teasing his upcoming role in the show, he revealed that his “most challenging fix” so far has been particularly emotional.
© BBC The show even has the royal seal of approval
He said: “The most difficult repair so far was the last one I did in the barn – an Adox sports camera. This camera was used by the client’s grandfather in the Vietnam War. When it arrived, it would probably have been easier to manufacture a new camera than to repair it – they were missing parts, screws were missing, everything was broken, springs were gone.
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“I made a few tiny springs, replaced the bellows and even custom made and 3D printed a whole new camera part. Despite the complex repair, I found it exciting to create replacement parts from scratch.”
© Guy LevySteve and Suzie Fletcher are well-known audience favourites
Like the other talented members of the team, including Will Kirk, Jay Blades and siblings Steve and Suzie Fletcher, he enjoys the knowledge that he has helped restore precious objects.
Pierro commented: “What I find really rewarding about my craft is being able to bring people’s cameras to life, especially ones with sentimental value. Knowing that the camera can be used by future generations to capture moments is what keeps me passionate about what I do.”
The Repair Shop will be shown on BBC One on Wednesday at 8pm and available on BBC iPlayer afterwards.
Categories: Entertaintment
Source: HIS Education